With an 0-3 record heading into a game against an undefeated and annual contender Walla Walla, Bellevue College men’s basketball showed they should be reckoned with by anyone in the NWAC with an impressive 90-80 win tonight in round two of the annual Bulldog Classic at Courter Family Athletic Pavilion. For the second night in a row, the Bulldogs were on fire offensively shooting 54% from the field. The game also marked the first time there were significant contributions off the bench as freshman guard Gerald Hood scored 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting.
Bellevue established themselves early in the game jumping out to a 9-0 lead on a basket by Trey Lawrence. Walla Walla attempted to set the tone from the perimeter but came up empty early on, going 0-for-5 from long range in the first few minutes of the game which also helped BC’s momentum. In the closing seconds of the first half, a pair of free throws by Hood coupled with a steal and lay in by Tijohn Rodde gave Bellevue a 13-point cushion 42-29 at halftime.
In the second half Walla Walla made several attempts at a comeback with hot shooting streaks but were matched up as Bellevue shot 61% in the second half, matching every Walla Walla bucket with one of their own throughout the entire half as the closest Walla Walla could get was a 6-point margin.
Bellevue’s first win puts them at 1-3 while Walla Walla suffers their first loss of the year and is 2-1. Bellevue plays Highline today at 2:00 in the final game of the round-robin format Bulldog Classic.
Last Updated November 24, 2019
